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A Tesla Model S tucked in and plugged in for the night.  By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR Bill Vlasic's report on "as raft of electric and hybrid models" at the annual Detroit auto show stood out for a number of reasons. Vlasic, who was writing for The New York Times, is one of the few reporters to focus on the showing of green cars instead of the latest, gas-guzzling performance model. He also doesn't indulge in the usual negatives, such as higher prices for EVs, limited range and other perceived weaknesses. "With increases in federal fuel-economy standards looming in 2017, car companies are hustling to bring out hybrid and electric models to help them meet the new rules -- even though electrified vehicles make up only 2 percent of overall sales," Vlasic wrote on Jan. 11 from the North American International Auto Show. The 2017 standard is a corporate average fleet economy of 37 mpg and in 2025, that average will go up to 54.5 mpg. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles intro...

Returning from a trip to Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in front of a fireplace at Panera Bread in a Hamilton, N.J., shopping center while my Tesla Model S was hooked up to a Supercharger, below. As I was relaxing in front of the fireplace, my phone's Tesla app said I was ready to resume the trip to my North Jersey home after only 15 minutes, but I waited another 10 minutes or so before disconnecting my car from the free charger. Heading north in the truck lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike, I took this photo from behind the wheel of my Model S after enabling Autopilot and Autosteer, cruising hands free at 79 mph.

An all-electric car with a range of about 85 miles like the Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 is ideal for many senior citizens, whose driving is limited to food shopping, visits to doctors, volunteering, and driving to senior centers or the gym. By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR A huge group of well-to-do Americans greeted the "reveal" of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt with a yawn on Wednesday. Retired seniors already have a nice choice of affordable all-electric cars that fit their lifestyle and the limited driving they do, including the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. The Bolt, with a range of 200 miles and a starting price of $37,500 before options, will be a little late to the game when it goes on sale at the end of this year or early next year. And if an affluent senior wants to reward himself or herself for a lifetime of hard work, they certainly would pick a jazzy red Tesla Model S over the pedestrian-looking Bolt. That way they could take advantage of a network of free and fast Tesla Superchargers, w...

This image from a Chevrolet Web site shows a male model holding the end of the charging cable for the 2016 Volt, a second-generation plug-in hybrid. The blatant phallic symbol seems to be a desperate move by parent General Motors, and it might make you wonder what the model is doing with his other hand. With a 240-volt outlet installed at home, the 2016 Volt's battery recharges at a glacial pace -- only 11.7 miles per hour -- compared to more than 30 miles per hour in an all-electric Tesla Model S. What would a Volt owner do on the road, stay in a hotel overnight? By VICTOR E. SASSON EDITOR The first-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid had the longest battery range in the industry, yet only 100,000 units were sold worldwide in 2010-15. Chevrolet is hoping to avoid a similar debacle with the 2016 Volt, displaying a phallic symbol on its official site, and exaggerating improvements in the second-generation gas-electric car. Now, the Volt has an all-electric range of 53 miles, bu...